New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, February 8, 2019:

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Feb. 8, 2019
* NYNY1902.08

- Birds mentioned
PACIFIC LOON+
COMMON MURRE+
BARNACLE GOOSE+
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

Red-necked Grebe
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
BLACK-HEADED GULL
EURASIAN WIGEON
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Harlequin Duck
Greater White-fronted Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
American Bittern
Evening Grosbeak
VESPER SPARROW
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
Orange-crowned Warbler

- Transcript

If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/goodreport.htm

You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44 (at)nybirds{dot}org.

If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070

Compilers: Tom Burke and Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, February 8th 2019 at 9pm. The highlights of today's tape are PACIFIC LOON, COMMON MURRE, BARNACLE GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, TUNDRA SWAN, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, EURASIAN WIGEON, BLACK-HEADED GULL, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and VESPER SPARROW.

Last Saturday a loon photographed in Oyster Bay was subsequently identified as a PACIFIC LOON and from Sunday through today close views have been enjoyed of this crisp winter plumaged bird. Never very far from shore this individual is often seen around the pilings at the Sagamore Yacht Club or along the shore east of the marina sometimes actually hidden among the pilings but also drifting farther east depending on activity and the tidal situation. Entering Oyster Bay at Route 106 continue on South Street and stay left at the end by the white tanks to enter the yacht club and adjacent Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. Search the marina area or along the shore to the east. It has been seen east to the cove off Florence Avenue which does have parking at the road's end.

Alcid numbers have been very low recently but a COMMON MURRE was spotted today drifting slowly west off Jones Beach field 6.

Among the waterfowl a BARNACLE GOOSE and at least 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE continue in a Canada Goose flock feeding in the sod fields north of Riverhead. The flocks have been moving around quite a bit. The search area recently has ranged from the original fields off Route 105 on the Northville Turnpike south of Sound Avenue to more westerly areas including fields viewed from Doctor's Path and Roanoke Avenue and even farther west off Osborn Avenue and even Edward's Avenue. Another GREATER WHITE-FRONTED has been visiting the lake at Playland Park in Rye where a EURASIAN WIGEON was also offshore on Wednesday. Other EURASIAN WIGEON drakes have been in Brooklyn at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center recently and at Bush Terminal Piers Park Wednesday as well as on Avon Lake in Amityville and at the Makamah Preserve in Fort Salonga and another spotted on Halsey Neck Pond in Southampton Wednesday. A drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE continues off Crab Meadow Beach in Fort Salonga and a pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKS were off Orient Point County Park this week. Two TUNDRA SWANS were on frozen Hook Pond in East Hampton last Saturday that same day finding one at Bush Terminal Piers Park.

A BLACK-HEADED GULL was spotted off Brooklyn's Calvert Vaux Park today and another was present Tuesday and Wednesday at the south end of Lake Montauk as viewed from South Lake Drive, this a site used by this species and some Bonaparte's Gulls in recent years. Single ICELAND GULLS this week were at Brooklyn's Austin Nichol's House Wednesday and Thursday as well as continuing at Crab Meadow Beach at the Montauk Harbor Inlet. A few LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS also remain along the coast.

A RED-NECKED GREBE was still at Shinnecock Inlet Sunday and AMERICAN BITTERN remains along Dune Road besides being seen again in Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island Wednesday.

An EVENING GROSBEAK male was still visiting Riverside Park in northern Manhattan today ranging from 117th Street and north and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen at Brooklyn's Plumb Beach last Saturday.

A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was still near number 20 Post Lane in Quogue last weekend this just north of Dune Road and up to 4 or so VESPER SPARROWS have been seen recently at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center off Yaphank Avenue this south of 495.

To phone in reports on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

- End transcript